Theatre Uncut goes Traverse
Power Plays for Traverse & Tron
Theatre Uncut‘s 2018 free-to-perform scripts, the Power Plays, are to get script-in-hand performances at the Traverse theatre next week, on Thursday 7 June 2018 from Braw Fox Theatre.
The production marks the re-emergence and transformation of what was the Urban Fox theatre company into Braw Fox Theatre. The company is run by directors Joe Rush and Amy McKenzie. It will tour the production to the Glasgow Tron for one night only, on Saturday 9 June.
Theatre Uncut provides theatrical responses to pressing political concerns – see Theatre Uncut is Back. This year examining power from the female perspective in the wake of #TimesUp, #MeToo, the Women’s Marches, and 100 years since the first women could vote.
Jo Rush told Æ: “As a company led by women we are really excited to be staging these plays about women and power and partnering with two great theatres that are hubs for new writing in Scotland. We’re looking forward to bringing our unique Braw Fox Theatre style to the evening events, and of course a lot of cake!”
The company is staging five of the seven Power Plays. Jo Rush will be directing Who Runs The World? by Atiha Sen Gupta, Amy McKenzie will be directing Mortar by Sharon Clark and they will be co-directing Nobody by Vivinne Franzmann.
They will be joined by guest directors Kolbrún Sigfúsdóttir, directing The Power of Plumbing by Sabrina Mahfouz, and Sarah Masson, who will be directing Safe by Niellah Arboine.
five actors and Theatre Uncut cake
Amy McKenzie adds: Jo and I first worked together on a Theatre Uncut event back in 2012, an event in an empty charity shop in Tollcross with five actors and Theatre Uncut cake.
Amy McKenzie, co-director of Urban Fox Theatre
“It was the start of our working relationship as young emerging directors, and the first in a series of many Theatre Uncut events for the two of us. Almost six years later we were relaunching our company as Braw Fox Theatre – figuring out what theatre sort of work want to make – and the opportunity to create a Theatre Uncut event came up again.
We’re honoured to be welcomed by the Traverse Theatre and Tron Theatre in Glasgow to present our events. For the event this year I put out an open call on Twitter for actors who might be interested in working with us and was astonished to have almost 50 notes of interest, from which we’ve choose a cast of 14 actors, along side two guest directors.
I think it’s shows how many theatre makers out there are interested in being part of political, engaging and proactive theatre, and people, especially young woman, are ready to explore and talk about this year’s theme, power.
This year’s plays, which explore power from the female perspective, are exciting, challenging and are sure to encourage the discussions we need to keep having about gender equality.”
Link-ups
This is one of several link-ups between Theatre Uncut and the Traverse this year.
During the fringe, Theatre Uncut’s directors Emma Callander and Hannah Price will be staging the Power Plays in the breakfast theatre slot on Mondays the 6 and 13 August. The plays will be followed by a panel discussion from inspiring people appearing across the fringe.
Theatre Uncut Political Play Award launch. Kwame Kwei-Armah, Emma Callander, Hannah Price, Orla O’Loughlin and Rachel O’Riordan. Pic: The Other Richard.
The Traverse is also one of three collaborators with Theatre Uncut in the £9,500 Political Play Award. This is for new works of over an hour, written for the stage by playwrights who have had no more that two plays presented as full productions.
Submissions for the Political Play Award open September 1 and close on November 1, 2018. The Theatre Uncut artistic directors will shortlist 10 plays from a long a long list of 30, to be read by the artistic directors of the partner venues: Kwame Kwei Armah (Young Vic), Rachel O’Riordan (Sherman Theatre) and Orla O’Loughlin (Traverse Theatre).
The seven Power Plays are available for anyone to download here. They are free to perform up until the end of June 2018.
If anyone is planning on staging the Power Plays in or around Edinburgh, please do contact All Edinburgh Theatre so we can publicise the event.
Listings and Links:
Urban Fox present The Power Plays
Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED
Thursday 7 June 2018
Evening: 8pm
Free but ticketed. Details here: www.traverse.co.uk
Tron Theatre , 63 Trongate, Glasgow, G1 5HB. Box Office: 0141 552 4267
Saturday 9 June 2018
Evening: 8pm.
Free but ticketed. Details here: www.tron.co.uk.
Theatre Uncut: Women on Power
Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED
Monday 6 & Monday 13 August 2018.
Breakfast slot: 10am
Tickets and details here: www.traverse.co.uk.
Theatre Uncut on Twitter: @TheatreUncut
Download the Power Plays: https://theatreuncut.com/download/.
Details on the Political Play Award: https://www.theatreuncut.com/award.
Braw Fox Theatre on Facebook: @BrawFoxTheatre
Twitter: @BrawFox
ENDS
